Eastern District, American Samoa

[1] Eastern District is further divided into counties: Historically, the cohesion of Sua ma Vaifanua, which later would become the Eastern District, was upheld by their unified high chief, Lei’ato, who lived in Fagaʻitua within Suʻa County.

[2] Already at the time of joining the union in 1900, Tutuila Island had well defined, traditional political divisions.

The eastern part of Tutuila had five traditional “counties” grouped under the name “Sua ma Vaifanua.” American Samoa's first Governor, Commander B. F. Tilley, named this region the “Eastern District” and one of the area's chiefs was appointed as District Governor.

In defiance of this removal, he continued to organize anti-U.S. Navy council meetings (fono) in Nuʻuuli, which subsequently became the new headquarters for the Mau movement.

[6][7] It was the Eastern District which in 1935 brought a resolution that requested the establishment of a legislative body (Fono).

Governor Otto Carl Dowling declined the request, claiming only the U.S. Congress had the right to establish such a legislature.

These include Sa'Ole County, which experienced the district's highest population growth at 23.7 percent.